Hand grip and container supporting attachment for stepladders



Sept. 27, 1960 w. P. FITZGERALD 2,954,093

HAND GRIP AND CONTAINER SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR STEPLADDERS 2 Sheets-S heet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1959 FIGJ INVENTOR.

WILLIAM R FITZGERALD CORBETT, MAHONEY,

MILL R RAMBOjTTYS BY p,

Sept. 27, 1960 W. P. FITZGERALD HAND GRIP AND CONTAINER SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR STEPLADDERS Filed Feb. 24', 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2o Tn 25 5 F I I 2| I 26 I i l I I -I6 i I 221 L/l3 I i 1 ///,U

INVENTOR. WILLIAM P. FITZGERALD CO R BETT, MAH ONEY MILLER & RA so A TYs BY M U ted S es Patw Q HAND GRIP AND CONTAINER SUPPORTING ATTACHlVIENT FOR STEPLADDERS William P. Fitzgerald, 252 W. 9th Ave., Columbus 1, Ohio Filed Feb. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 794,894 .2 Claims. (Cl. 182-129) My invention relates to a hand grip and container supporting attachment for stepladders.

My invention has to do, more particularly, with an assembly which is adapted to be clamped to the top step of a stepladder and which includes a vertically adjustable hand-hold member that carries a pan-like shelf for supporting a paint can or other container. T nus, the handheld member provides something extending above the top step of the ladder which a person on the ladder can grasp for safety and the associated shelf provides means for supporting the container in a position conveniently available to the person on the ladder. Furthermore, the pan-like shelf for supporting the container provides means for catching drips from the container supported thereon. The structure of my invention is extremely simple and inexpensive, is of light weight, can be easily applied to standard stepladders, and can be adjusted easily between its various positions to suit the person to use the ladder. Furthermore, the attachment is such that the larger parts thereof may be easily removed for transportation or storage and can be reassembled on the ladder with case.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention and in these drawmgs:

Figure l is an isometric view, partly broken away, of the attachment of my invention showing it applied to a stepladder.

Figure 2 is a schematic view in side elevation showing the hand-hold and container-supporting unit of the attachment adjusted to its uppermost vertical position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the adjustable hand-hold unit in its lowermost position.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View through one of the bearing units provided for slidably supporting the handhold unit.

Figure 5 is a detail in side elevation, partly broken away, of the container-supporting shelf carried by the hand-hold unit.

The assembly of this invention serves as an attachment for a standard stepladder, the upper portion of one being indicated by L in Figure l of the drawings. The assembly is adapted to be mounted on the top step of the ladder to provide a safety hand-hold and, in addition, to provide means conveniently located to support a paint container, or container for cleaning liquid, or any other container to be used.

The attachment comprises mainly an upstanding inverted U-shaped tubular hand-hold unit 10, which carries a container-supporting pan-like shelf 11 supported adjacent its upper end, a pair of upstanding bearing units 12 for slidably supporting the downwardly extending legs of the unit 10, and an attaching bracket 13 which supports the units 12 and which is adapted to be attached to the top step of the ladder. All the parts are preferably made of aluminum to reduce weight to a minimum.

The bracket 13 is in the form of a plate which is disposed horizontally and which has a converging inner end that is overlapped with the top step S of the ladder and ice is clamped in position thereon by means of clamp bolts 14 which take the place of the usual rivets of the ladder which are removed. The attachment may be at either the right or left side of the ladder to suit the user.

The unit 10 is preferably made of tubular stock and has the curved upper hand-hold 15 and the depending pair of legs 16. As indicated above, these legs are slidable vertically in the bearing units 12. The structure of each of the units 12 is illustrated best in Figure 4. Each unit comprises a cap plate 20 which is spaced above the bracket plate 13 and which has a vertically disposed bearing opening 21 that aligns with a similar opening 22 in the plate 13. These bearingopenings are circular and slidably receive one leg 16 of the unit 10 which extends vertically therethrough. The plate 20 is held in spaced relationship above the plate 13 by means of upstanding spacer tubes 23 disposed between the two plates having clamping bolts 24 extending vertically therethrough and through aligning openings in the plates. A spacer and bolt is provided at each corner of the plate 20. Thus, each leg 16 of the unit 10 will be slidably adjustable vertically in the associated bearing unit 12. To lock the unit in vertically adjusted position, one of the bearing units 12 may be provided with a lock pin 25 which is carried by a chain 26 that is anchored to the upper end of one of the bolts 24. This pin cooperates with the upstanding portion of an L-shaped lug 27 which is clamped to the upper surface of the plate 12 at the opening 21 by the same bolt. At suitable vertically spaced intervals along the legs 16, a pair of transversely aligned openings 28 may be provided for receiving the pin 25 which may be retained therein by a cotter key 29 in the free end, the attached end being provided with the enlarged head 31. Obviously, the lock pin 25 will be extended through the lug 27 and a selected pair of openings 28 to hold the unit 10 in a selected vertically adjusted position.

Toward its upper end, the unit 10 carries the supporting panlike shelf 11, as indicated above. The pan 35 thereof will provide an upwardly opening socket for receiving the paint can or other receptacle C which is indicated by the broken lines in Figure 1. The pan 35 removably fits within a horizontally disposed ring-like member 36 which has ears 37 at its inner side attached to the collars 38 which are clamped to the legs 16 of the unit 10. The outer side of the ring 36 is supported by a pair of angle braces 39, the outer ends of which are attached to the ring at 40 and the clamp collars 41 that are clamped to the legs 16 at a level below the location of the collars 38.

In use, the unit 10 can be adjusted to various vertical positions as indicated in Figures 2 and 3, by removing the lock pin 25, adjusting the unit 10- up or down, and resetting the pin in a different pair of openings 28. The upper hand-hold portion 15 will thus be located for convenience in grasping and the pan 35 will be located at the desired level for supporting the paint can or the like at a readily accessible level. The pan 35 will catch any drips from the can and it is possible to remove it for cleaning. In any adjusted position, the unit 10 will be rigidly supported in upright position, because each hearing unit 12 engages the legs 16 at widely spaced levels. This will also prevent binding in the bearing units which would interfere with the vertical adjustment. The unit 10 may be completely withdrawn upwardly for transportation or storage and can be reassembled with ease.

Although I have discussed various advantages of my ladder attachment, others will be apparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An attachment for a stepladder or the like comprising a flat bracket plate adapted to be attached in horizontal position to the ladder, an inverted U-shaped handinner ends of which are connected toon the bracket plate and comprising spacer and bolt unitscarried by the bracket plate in upstanding relationship thereto and connected to and supporting said heating plates in said spaced relationship to the bracket plate, and latch means for holding said legs in vertically adjusted position in said aligning openings in the bearing and bracket plates and comprising a latch pin disposed above one of said bearing plates, the leg of the hand-hold unit associated with the latter bearing plate having vertically spaced openings for selective y and removably receiving said latch pin. j

2. An attachment according to claim 1 including a ring carried by said hand-hold unit and projecting horizontally outwardly therefrom above and in parallel relationship to said bearing plates, and a pan removably fitting in said ring;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 850,351 Crum Apr. 16, 1907 1,735,992 Bode Nov. 19, 1929 2,388,892 Wilson Nov. 13, 1945 2,614,744 Hedglon Oct. 21, 1952 2,747,825 Lachenmayer May 29, 1956 2,834,526 Paris May 13, 1958 

